Ski sled



March 18, 1952 BASSO 2,589,764

SKI SLED Filed Sept. 19, 1949 Inventor to e y:

Patented Mar. 18, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SKI SLED- Joseph Basso, owosso, Mich.

Application September 19, 1949, Serial No. 116,523

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a ski sled, the runners or snow engaging portions of the sled com prising conventional skis.

The main object of this invention is to provid simple and. easily controlled steering means for controlling the directional path of the skis, the steering means functioning to impart a tilting motion to the skis.

Another object of this invention is to provide means for pivotally mounting a normally horizontally disposed seat board transversely between a pair of skis, the steering means being pivotally r rockably mounted below the seat board and parallel therewith, so that a person positioned on the seat board can easiy and safely impart a tilting motion to the skis by rocking the operating member for the steering means about its horizontal axis.

These and ancillary objects and structural features of merit are attained by this invention, the preferred embodiment of which is set forth in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a View in perspective of a ski sled, constructed in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is longitudinal vertical sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the steering means, with the skis being shown in section.

In the accompanying drawing, the ski sled l0 includes a pair of parallel conventional skis l2 and I4.

A pair of U-shaped supporting brackets l5 and I8 are mounted longitudinally in relation to said skis, the brackets including a web portion 20 which is seated on the upper faces of the skis and secured thereon by securing members 22. Upstanding front and rear legs 24 and 2'! project integrally from the ends of the web, the front leg 24 including an upwardly inclined lower section 26 and an offset upper section 28, the upper section being disposed in a vertical plane. The rear leg 21 extends vertically from the web and is formed with a forwardly and upwardly inclined upper section 38. Of course, the legs of both of the brackets I6 and I8 are similarly formed.

A seat board 32 is transversely positioned between the skis I2 and I4 and supporting plates 34 and 36 are secured at their upper edges to the underside of the seat board, adjacent the front and rear edges thereof, so that the supporting plates .are at right angles to the seat board. The supporting plate .314 is formed at its opposing ends with downwardly extending diverging arms or engage the outwardly inclined lower sections 26 of the front arms 24 Pivot elements or rods 58 are journaled through the ends 48 of the legs of the rear plate 36 and the legs of the front plate 34, the pivot elements being journaled in the upper end 30 of the rear legs of the brackets l8 and I8 and in the lower sections 26 of the front leg. Thus, the pivot elements are inclined forwardly and downwardly, with respect to the longitudinal axis of the skis and the seat assembly is pivotally supported on an angle so as to point the skis to the right or left. It is to be noted that the skis are pointed and banked together.

The steering means 52 includes a pair of parallel bars 54 and 56 which are joined at their outer ends by transverse handles 58, the outer ends of the bars extending beyond the opposing ends of the seat board 32. The bars and handles form a steering member, which is adapted to be rockably or tiltably mounted below the seat board and connected to the skis for controlling the directional path thereof. Each of the bars 54' and 56 is centrally formed with an enlarged plate 60, which extends above and below the bars. The lower section of the plate is transversely apertured as at 62 to, receive a pivot ele-; ment 64, which is formed with axially reduced ends 68 journaled in enlarged bearing supports 68 formed on the lower edges of the supporting plates. Control links 18 and 12 are pivotally afilxed as at 14 to the upper portion of the plates, above the upper edges of the bars 54 and 56 and the lower ends of the links are pivotally attached by transversely disposed pivot pins 16 to the offset end 28 of the front legs 26 of the bracket members.

Thus, it can be seen that a person positioned on the seat board 32 can control and steer the skis by gripping the handles 58 and rocking the steering member above its center pivot 64 so as to raise and lower the links 10 and 12 and thereby swing the skis inwardly and outwardly. The

control links force the skis to rock to the right or left banking the skis in such a manner so as to steer the skis.

Of course, it can be seen that various means may be provided for securing the feet of the rider on the skis and that the seat will respond to the steering movements of the ski so that the seat board will be, at all times, in a substantially horizontal plane, as the skis are being banked.

Of course, various changes and purposes of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art, upon a perusal of the foregoing disclosure, in view of the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that certain changes in size, style and arrangement of parts may be effected thereon, without a departure from the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A ski sled comprising a pair of skis, U- shaped brackets mounted longitudinally on the skis, the front legs of said brackets being inclined upwardly and having ofiset upper ends, a seat board transversely positioned between the skis, supporting plates secured to the front and rear portions of the seat board, each of said plates having opposing downwardly extending arms, longitudinally extending pivot elements disposed through the upper ends of the rear legs of the brackets and the lower ends of the front legs and on which the arms of the supporting plates are pivotally mounted, a steering member disposed below the seat board and. parallel therewith, a pivot element transversely journaled between the supporting plates and disposed through the center of the steering member and control bars pivotally carried by the steering member adjacent its pivot and pivotally secured to the offset upper ends of the front legs of the brackets, whereby tilting motion of the steering member about its pivot is imparted to the skis.

2. A ski sled comprising a pair of skis, U- shaped bracket members mounted on the skis and having forward and rear upstanding legs, said legs having inclined portions in parallel relation to each other, said forward legs having laterally offset portions, a seat board being transversely positioned between the skis, supporting plates secured to the front and rear portions of the seat board, each of said plates having opposing downwardly extending arms, longitudinally extending and inclined pivot elements mounted in said inclined portions of said forward and rear upstanding legs, said arms being pivotally mounted on said pivot elements, a steering member disposed below the seat board and pivotally mounted between the supporting plates, control bars pivotally carried by the steering member adjacent its pivotal axis, said control bars being pivotally connected to the laterally offset portions whereby tilting motion of the steering member about its pivotal axis effects steering of the ski sled.

' JOSEPH BASSO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,160,569 Bourdon et al. Nov. 16, 1915 1,242,514 Bourdon et a1. Oct. 9, 1917 2,239,213 Artman Apr. 22, 1941 2,323,847 Sampsell July 6, 1943 

